When it comes to storage, we have yet to meet a family that has a perfect relationship with their home. Unorganized collections often find themselves relegated to a dusty box under the bed never to be revisited, craft supplies are stashed haphazardly in forgotten drawers — where are the scissors?! — and all the while other spaces (sometimes even whole rooms) are left relatively unused. These creative ideas made us reconsider what we think of as "dead space"...

FIRST ROW

• 1 Books are somewhat sacred to me, so I couldn't see using this trick with my more beloved tomes. However, I love the visual effect—and the fact of putting an unsuable fireplace to work—and it might be great for paperbacks or magazine collections.• 2 & 3 Not a solution for the earthquake-prone regions, but here in DC using the dead space over doorways would be a perfect way to store serving dishes only used for entertaining or cook books that you don't reference everyday.• 4&5 Whenever I come across an under stair storage solution, we're stunned. Pure genius!

SECOND ROW• 6 & 7 Dining rooms need not be the most unused rooms in the home. For most of us, they double as our home offices/craft areas, so why not designate storage spots to these other functions. They key is having storage systems that fit in with your decor so that it can easily transition back int o dining mode when its time for a family dinner or more formal gathering.